Competitive Strategies Adopted by Women Owned Enterprises in Naivasha Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

The current business environment is characterized by high competition, and various forms of challenges. Therefore, for businesses to grow, they must deal with the challenges to their survival through continuous search for competitive strategies. Women owned enterprises face numerous challenges. As a result, the owners adopt various competitive strategies in order to survive and make profit. In this study, the objective was to determine the competitive strategies adopted by women owned enterprises in Naivasha Sub County, Kenya. The study utilized a cross sectional descriptive research design. Data for this study was collected from a sample of 303 respondents using questionnaires. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential analysis methods. Descriptive analysis helped in providing a summary of the samples and the measures done on competitive strategies while factor analysis was then used to map out the most common competitive strategies. From the analysis, the study established that women owned enterprises in Naivasha Sub County have adopted various competitive strategies so as to overcome high market dynamism. It indicated that to a large extent; product differentiation strategies were adopted to overcome competition and market turbulence, cost focus strategy to gain competitiveness and achieve market sustainability, diversification to minimize risks, market penetration for achieving more sales and technological innovations to enhance efficiency. The study concluded that the women owned enterprises in Naivasha sub county had adopted product differentiation in order to increase sales, diversification strategies in order to capture more of high revenue market segments and focus strategies in order to appeal more to customers. The study findings imply that most women owned enterprises lack the kind of capital required to undertake fully these strategies and due to these strain they strive to increase market-share via low pricing and good after sale services. The study recommends that there is need for the women owned enterprises in Naivasha subcounty to increasingly adopt competitive strategies for sustainability of their businesses.